Unquestionable Love
by Sasukeluva 4eva
Summary: Biologically he was not mine. But I still loved him never the less. FUTURE LEMONS; Alternating Pairings; Main Sasuke x Sakura; Side Kakashi x Sakura; Please R&R!
1. He Left Me Broken

**a/n: Another new fic. 'Nuff said.**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

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_Summary (full): _

_Biologically he was not mine. But I still loved him never the less._

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**S**a_s_**u**k_e_**l**u_v_**a **4_e_**v**a_ p_**r**e_s_**e**n_t_**s**_**;**_

_**Unquestionable Love**_

_Sasuke x Sakura Lemon Fanfic_

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Chapter 1

He Left Me Broken

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This couldn't have been real...

It just didn't seem possible in my mind.

Never would I have thought that the one person I had always remained faithful to, the one person that would undoubtedly hold my heart in the palm of his hand for the rest of my life, would be _marrying_; the prospect of him _getting_ married wasn't what bothered me... no...

It was the fact that he was marrying _someone else_ that had me in tatters all over again.

First he leaves me broken and despairing when I was of a mere thirteen, then he decides it would be amusing to watch me be crushed further after our reencounter at the age of fifteen, and when I finally saw him again a year later... he had tried to _kill_ me.

But it was warranted, I knew; after all, _I_ had gone to him with the full intentions of committing such an act (a felon that went against everything I had ever believed in, had ever stood for) myself, but the verity, the sheer _reality_ of death by my beloved's hand was only then awoken to me—I only became aware of what I assumed to be a distant fate after it had almost very nearly happened.

And once again, after he left me in pieces, Naruto was left to pick up the fragmented shards and pressurised himself to put me back together as best he could.

I did not deserve such loyalty from a boy—no, a _man_—as beautiful, as lovingly wonderful as he.

He deserved far better than what I could ever have offered him. And I think that deep down, he knew it too.

Eventually, after another three years of persuading him to let go of his unhealthy obsession for me, Naruto finally saw to it that Hinata would be the happiest girl in the world; and just by recognising her as a fellow comrade, a friend, he did just that.

Now they were well on their way to being wedded themselves; I couldn't have been happier for them.

Even there still, more joy was brought upon the village when my beloved finally returned, his newly formed team in tow; Kakashi-sensei and Naruto had never been happier, now that they had finally brought him back to where he had always belonged.

But it was a depressing time for me.

After all, I had promised, _sworn_, to Naruto that I would no longer be deadweight, that I would pick up all of my slack and train until my knuckles bled, until every pore of my body wept, until every muscle cavity was on fire from the overexertion; I had broken my promise—I had let him down.

But what hurt the most was the fact that _he_ knew it too, but still smiled in that same way he always had; that breathtaking sight that made others want to return the gesture.

On that day, at that time... even though his smile coaxed me too smile too... I did not.

And ever since then... our relationship has since been strained, no matter what amends Hinata and the rest of the Rookie 9 try to make between us; the friction still remains a burden for us all to bear.

Again, it seems that I have become an encumbrance to the very people that I had wished to free of my suffocating presence.

Once again I had become the hindrance that constantly stood between their successes in life, the impediment that no one wanted around.

Once again I was that same annoying little brat that just didn't know when to give up—I had become the very thing that I had tried so brutally to beat out of myself.

But it seems that even the innermost part of my conscience would have no such thing, refusing me such a small favour in the guise that perhaps I could still be of use to them as I was; who was I to pretend to be otherwise?

Of course, it never worked... nevernevernevernever worked...

_I_ was the burden; _they_ were the heroes.

Nothing would change that.

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It was the day I was to meet with everyone; inclusive of _his_ new fiancé.

My heart was tearing at the very seams as I stood before my bathroom mirror, examining my person; of course he wouldn't want someone like _me_.

I wasn't curvy like Ino, or full-busted like Hinata; hell, my _personality_ wasn't anywhere _near_ as spirited as Tenten's.

Let's face it, I had nothing going for me, except for maybe my overgrown, cursed forehead.

But still... I hoped that I was at least eligible for someone out there, someday...

Because I sure as hell knew that I would never get anywhere with my love. It was never meant to be; I just had to suck it up and face the music, per se.

I would admit, I _did_ have curves, just none as vivacious and plentiful as my girlfriends'; my hips were wide enough to be of support to a child (I knew that the likelihood of ever having any had just been shot to the realm beyond hell itself) if I were to bear any in the near future, my legs toned from the amount of hours I would put into my training with Tsunade-shishou—I had abs, although to me they paled in comparison to Temari's, and I _did_ have breasts, although nothing as ample as Hinata's.

I would never be up to scratch in the eyes of others.

I would always be the obtrusively agitating little girl I had always been.

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My heart rate skyrocketed; this was it.

This was the first time that I would be seeing any of my teammates, my _friends_, in _months_; the fact that I had been sent on constant missions with ANBU didn't help any, but it somewhat helped in me removing myself from the others presence—I was helping rid them of my smothering clinginess.

It was also to be the first time since his return to the village that I would be seeing Sasuke.

I felt the strong urge to simply disappear, retch up all that remains in my stomach, and die in a secluded corner of the universe.

But unfortunately it was already too late for that.

I stood outside of the newly renovated Ichiraku's (the damage that Pain and Madara had inflicted upon Konoha had taken many years to completely rectify), heart clamped tautly in my throat as I slowly lifted the coloured curtains that obscured my path, the only thing I could claim as sanctuary, so that they flew over my head.

Everyone's eyes were on me.

Already I regretted far more than anything else turning up to this 'reunion' of sorts.

A bleach blonde I vaguely registered as Ino squealed as soon as her baby blue eyes landed on my form, her petite figure jolting from her place at one of the secluded tables as she darted towards me, her intentions already plain as day.

My arms automatically opened just as she threw herself at me, her long arms hauling me into her chest as she stood on the very balls of her feet (that's funny, wasn't she supposed to have been taller than me?) so that she could clutch me to her full chest (I was oh so envious of her, and we'd been together barely a minute); some things hadn't changed, at least, and that thought was enough to comfort me for the smallest of moments.

There was a brief interlude where everything was incredibly silent, before the scraping of many chairs against the refurbished flooring could be heard, the heavier footfalls of people moving toward me only increasing my panic; I wasn't ready for this, not yet.

I hadn't separated myself from them for nothing, after all.

Besides, they shouldn't have wanted me anywhere near them.

I was supposed to have been the bane of their existences, right? So then why did they bother acting as if they cared if I was here or not?

"Forehead Girl, I've missed you so much! All those fucking missions! It's been more than _seven_ _months_ since I last saw you! Kami, where the hell has Tsunade-sama been sending you?"

For the most part I was silent as Ino continued to rant on about how much she had missed me—occasionally pulling back and holding me at an arm's length to inspect me for any underlying damage (more like _changes_)—and how much we had to catch up on, until a startlingly familiar husky baritone spoke up, far deeper than I ever remembered it being.

"S-Sakura-chan? Is that really you?"

What, had I honestly changed _that much_ since the last time I had been with them?

Raising my sombre green eyes up to where the voice had resonated from, I allowed myself a moment to compose myself on the inside; same unruly, spiky blonde locks in casual disarray, shocking cerulean irises, sun-kissed skin, and whiskers indicating his oneness with the nine-tailed kyuubi.

_Naruto_.

With an almost rueful smile, I replied quite cynically, "Well if it isn't Naruto. Too bad the same courtesies couldn't be extended out to at least remember _my face_."

To say that they weren't offended by my choice of words—not to mention my _tone_—would be an understatement.

"Sakura, it really _has_ been too long! You look completely different since we saw you last!"

Tenten chimed in defensively, standing up for Naruto's benefit as she stared me down (not quite, since we were about the same height now); in all honesty, I wasn't fazed by the looks of contempt and disillusioned confusion on all of my 'friends' faces.

I had been long since numbed to this sort of contact thanks to the isolation being a member of ANBU brought along with the rank—my reaction was only to have been expected.

Vaguely, I wondered if this was what it felt like to be Sai every day of the year.

Go figures that we would be the ones that would be able to empathise with one another.

"Whoa, hold it guys! We haven't seen Sakura in donkey's years," What a clichéd overstatement, "And the first thing we find ourselves doing is growling words of the more negative notion at her? That is _not_ cool! So just chill, back off, give her some air, and perhaps then she'd be more sociable."

Like hell.

I watched my friends contemplate Ino's retaliation, before they reluctantly found themselves digressing with her point, the mumbling only growing in volume as the majority returned to their seats and waited for my arrival; only my girlfriends', and the dumbstruck blonde, remained at my side.

I felt those nervous butterflies returning only to take flight in my stomach, fluttering against my insides until I was almost positive that I _would_ be sick; noticing the discolouration in my face, Ino was there in an instant, her azure orbs glistening with concern in the dimmed fluorescent lighting as she fretted over my wellbeing, her hands flailing everywhere and anywhere as she tried to soothe my discomfort.

The action alone triggered fonder memories, that same rueful smile taking its place on my thin (I assumed they were thin; I wasn't putting on a lot of weight lately, so I was sure that either my metabolism had built up a higher immunity, or I just wasn't eating _[I couldn't for the life of myself remember the last time I had eaten anything...]_ as much as I used to), chapped lips as I spoke softly for the first time in what seemed to be ages (indeed it had been a long time since I had spoke as _myself_).

"I missed you too, Ino-pig."

The action seemed to have startled the bleach-blonde beauty, as her mouth hung agape at not just the content of what I had said, but how I had said it; it was almost as if I hadn't spoken like this to her the last time I had had that opportunity...

Once again her arms were around me, her face nuzzling into my neck so as to obscure it from view as I felt the first sign of emotion from her; I could feel the wet patters of tears spilling onto my skin. And it wasn't nearly as unpleasant as I had made it out to be.

"Y-You've b-been g-gone f-for t-too l-long, B-Billboard B-Brow!"

_'Nice time to turn into Hinata.'_

I thought with dry amusement as I listened to her stutter through her silent sobs, rubbing her back awkwardly (I really had been spending too much time with those emotionless drones in ANBU; their frigidity with close encounters had begun to run off on me) in what I assumed was the correct response to such a reaction; I felt as if I really _did_ need to learn all of these feelings again, especially since they had once been second-nature to me, _once upon a time_.

Ironic that I had given up on all hope of a fairytale ending, the one that I had at one point in my prime of youth so yearned for; there was _no such thing_ as a happy ending, after all.

Not in the shinobi world.

I had had to learn that firsthand.

Now I was sure that it was drilled into my head, so securely, in fact, that even the simplest of everyday tasks had become excruciatingly trying for me to convey.

It was going to be a long time before I could be half as decent as I had been before.

But maybe it was for the better of all of my loved ones that I remain this way; after all, I had gone to such lengths as to dispose of _that_ side of me—only now would I be able to determine whether my efforts were worth it, or indeed served in vain.

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It was tense standing in front of Naruto, even more so since we had about a foot between us; we were people renowned for our ability to endure, to _thrive_, off of the closure of another's presence, whether the distance remained as a simple inch or two between the shoulders—it must have been amusing to watch two as animated as us (as I _used_ to be) just... standing there.

Doing nothing whatsoever to close the gaping gap between us. Indeed it was uncomfortable just staring at our feet, waiting for the other to make a move.

Since I had always had better endurance, it was obviously Naruto that cracked first, the pressure unbearable.

"Gaaaah, I can't take it anymore! Sakura-chan! I'm really, really, _really_ sorry for what happened back then! I didn't mean for it to happen! I swear it was an accident that I managed to bring Sasuke-teme back," Ouch, that had to be a nasty blow to the Uchiha's ego, as proven when there was an indignant grunt heard in the din, "And I had planned on bringing you along on that mission, but baa-chan said that you were asleep after that really long mission you served for four months, and needed your rest badly, so I figured that if I went, and wasn't successful, then maybe you wouldn't hate me as much! But then Sasuke was _actually_ willing to comply with us," What an amazing feat that must have been, having _the_ Uchiha Sasuke conceding to a battle without their being any necessary violence attached, "So we didn't really have that much of a choice in the matter!"

"BURN UCHIHA, BURRRRN!"

Kiba's howl of raucous laughter filled the air as he chuckled over Naruto's indirect—yet all the same spiteful—blow at his best friend (more formally recognised as his 'brother' of sorts), the laughter that joined in only serving as a pretext to confuse the blonde all the more; why the hell were they laughing...?

I, on the other hand, couldn't withhold my slight amusement at his bluntly insulting (he didn't even realise that he had intoned anything remotely nasty about his teammate) statement; the strangled giggle that left my throat was enough to silence everyone else in the room, their eyes once again drawn to my figure as I clamped a dainty hand over my mouth, in the hopes of quelling my titters—unfortunately, it turned out to be quite the opposite, as it only spurned the urge to stop all the more, my chuckles escaping as light puffs of laughter that tickled even my own ears.

I hadn't felt this carefree, this lightness in my chest, for so long now, and frankly, I never wanted it to end.

But it did, all too soon, as I managed to calm my demeanour, before loosely replacing my mask so that I was vaguely resemblant to my 'old self', my eyes alight and burning the same shade of sparkling emerald as they used to be; for even a moment, I was simply 'me' again.

Naruto seemed bewildered with my sudden shift in personality, but that didn't necessarily mean that he wasn't pleased with the change; in fact, the euphoric grin that made its way to his face was enough for even me to return the gesture (after all of these months, I _finally_ found it in me to smile back), slightly strained from lack of use, so to speak, but a smile never the less, one more true to myself than it had ever been.

For this brief epilogue, I was 'me' again.

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"Is it too late to give you a hug, or aren't they permitted in the ANBU Black Ops?"

My smile stretched across my features until it set the room ablaze, my feet carrying me without me even needing to tell them to as I closed that much loathed distance between us, my arms encircling his waist with enough brute strength to have a strangled "Gaaacck!" spout from his lips as he returned it, squeezing back with barely half the strength I had put into it; I had missed his hugs, that was a given, and I wasn't going to let this chance slip.

There was laughter at our antics, Ino looking dreadfully teary once again as she watched on from her place at the table, her hands clasped together as we finally drew apart, my expression never faltering as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head (in that same Naruto-ish way he had always had), before taking my hand in his and slowly escorting me toward where everyone sat, my heartbeat picking up tempo once again as I spotted in the darkness of the farthest corner the one that I had been dreading to see; almost as if on cue, he stood, gesturing at the person at his side to stay put where they were as he elegantly—with a grace that defied nature itself—glided through the masses that had gathered, making his way to the forefront.

He was instantly the centre of attention as the light finally hit him.

Good lord, he had changed so much from the lost little boy I remembered so vividly in my mind's eye; everything was virtually the same, except altered so drastically that he seemed too perfect to be real—if I had thought he had been gorgeous when I had last encountered him three years ago (when he had tried to _killkillkill_ me), then I was sadly mistaken.

His features had taken on a slightly more aristocratic edge, sharper on some angles than I remember, all of that former baby fat lost completely; he had just proven he was _all_ man now, if his height or the powerful tint of his muscles said anything (and they spoke _volumes_ to me; if I wasn't a trained professional, I may have blushed or received a nasty nosebleed from this more than welcomed sight).

But once again, the very eyes I had always been so fascinated with drew me in, guarded and resistant to my own open eyes (although still harder to read now that I could hone in my emotions, whatever was left of them now), his expression impassive as he gazed down at me (I cursed my genetic shortness) from the front of the table.

He was a lot closer to me than Naruto had been—which was quite alarming, seeing as he had always hated close contact, even if it wasn't touching to begin with—previously, which was worrying me to no ends as we simple stared at one another; no one moved or breathed as we did this.

It was such a strong tension that everything surrounding us was instantly smothered of their entitlement to do as such.

I honestly didn't know how to react to seeing him after all of this time; he wore a shirt that was slightly similar to the one he had been wearing when I had first seen him at Orochimaru's hidden base in Sound, except it covered more of his chest to the point where his neck met the juncture of his clavicle, exposing the smooth skin of his throat.

His pants were the same, from the purple wrap that covered his darker under-slacks to the purple shimenawa that held it in place on his hips; even his sandals were the same, albeit of a larger size to accommodate for his growth spurt. Those same harsh, calculating orbs were narrowed in on my form, scrutinizing me without much regard for my comfort; it seemed that even he was finding it hard to believe that the person standing before him was Haruno Sakura.

Sorry to disappoint, but everyone grows up eventually, and I'm no exception to that.

He seemed so flawlessly perfect in my eyes, when I knew that this was not the case; he was anything but that, his past afflictions, the scars that mar him physically, mentally and emotionally, raised a barrier that would never be fully penetrated, no matter who tried to pry it from him—there would always be a wall separating their understanding and comprehension.

This I knew all too well, even as he drew me into an awkward embrace, strained by that very same emotional barrier that I knew would never completely be decomposed, broken down.

I inhaled his scent, something unforgettable to me (musky, but in a way that was completely natural, and something only he would ever be able to give off) even after so many years had passed us by, the taut swells of his hard muscles pressing into my cheek as I sighed somewhat contentedly, resting myself against him as if it were a natural, everyday occurrence; somehow, this wasn't nearly as terrible as I had made it out to be in my mind as it happened.

My arms had reflexively snaked around his back, my hands fisting in the light material of his shirt as I relaxed completely; he seemed slightly more at ease with what was happening, because his muscles had significantly slacked to the point of being simply rigid, his own hands resting comfortably on the back of my head and on the ridge of my neck (seeing as he was too tall to place his hands any lower than that) as he breathed easily.

No words needed to be said; I already knew what he was trying to convey, and it had been received dutifully.

His heart was beating slowly, calm in every way, shape and form as I found myself smiling a smile that only ever came out for him, my eyes lidded as I relished in the warmth; that is, until a hand materialised out of nowhere and clutched at his bicep, his attention instantly drawn to the person in question. And like that, we were already metres apart, his body naturally—if not still awkwardly—moulding into the other figure's lithe frame; it was most definitely a woman—and then, like that, my world came crashing down as I realised the weighting of this reunion.

It wasn't just to celebrate my return to the ranks.

No...

It was also to celebrate the engagement of one Uchiha Sasuke, the only one I had ever really loved with everything I had in me.

"Sakura, this is Watanabe Mitsuko, my fiancé."

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**a/n: Ugh, this was **_**annoying**_**! XS  
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**First I couldn't get into it, THEN when I FINALLY managed to **_**almost**_** finish it, my computer restarts and deletes **_**half**_** of what I had written, thanks to the fact that I didn't **_**save it**_** like I should have for starters! **

**But now, it is _finally_ written for your convenience, and I do hope that you are interested in where I am going to eventually take this. **

**And the first person P.O.V. was a former specialty of mine, not so much anymore coz I prefer third person mostly, so please do not scorn me for it! **

**Please review guys! (:**

**So until next time, I guess.**

**Ja ne! x) **

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***

**P.S. I hope to GOD you didn't think I was going to use **_**Karin**_** (I'd rather an OC any day next to her!) as the fiancé!**


	2. The Healing Process Shatters

**a/n: WOWZA, you guys seem to be avid supporters of this fic's progression already! Seriously, this means so much to me, so thank you all! (: **

**Please enjoy the next instalment. ^~^**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

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Chapter 2

The Healing Process Shatters

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It hurts so much.

It hurts so much to watch the man that I have irrevocably loved for so many years walking hand-in-hand with any other woman aside from myself.

Hell, I understand the implications of such a foolhardy thought, but it could not be helped, _cannot_ be helped; my jealously is unbridled, completely understandable seeing as she is by far more beautiful, intelligent and resourceful than I, and this 'situation', to me, is the living embodiment of Kami-sama's wrath itself to watch him act so unusually platonic, as he was now fully immersed in, showcasing this 'thing' to the entire village—honestly, if he was so desperate to rub bitter salt into my already gaping wounds, then be my guest for all who can say I give a fuck, but in actuality everyone I knew would know that I were lying if I simply shrugged it off and said that I didn't care.

I cared alright, more than I really should have, more than I am entitled to.

And I honest to Kami didn't even want to venture into the realms of _that_ aspect of physical contact, the thing that allows proper relationships to blossom and grow increasingly strong; what happens behind closed doors should remain behind closed doors.

But the way she was hanging off of his arm as if their limbs were naturally deformed to accompany each other, were meant to have been permanently plastered together, said otherwise to me; I honestly wouldn't have minded tearing her limb from painful fucking limb until—

"Ne, Sakura-chan!"

The terse roar of Naruto's startlingly deep baritone surprised me out of my scathing ponderings, my dull emerald depths gazing up in the direction of said blonde moron; before I had the chance to even act, Naruto had scooped me up into his arms, a wide grin plastered to his sun-kissed features as he spun around, strong limbs clutching me to his chest as he completely raised me off of the ground, to match his height. It annoyed me greatly that he had grown so much in such a short expanse of time, but what could you do?

Men were naturally (in most cases) supposed to sprout out of their older bodies like a new shoot blooming into a billowing oak tree; or as I liked to think, they endure so much growth that their kneecaps would snap, cave in, and be damaged so badly that they were left with no other option then amputation, where they would then proceed to walk around on stumps for the rest of their lives whilst I, Haruno Sakura, towered over them all once again.

Because, at one stage, I _had_ been taller than the majority of the boys... right?

Smiling somewhat wryly at my foolish inner antics—it seems that after all of these years of training to rid myself of this damned alter-ego were all for nothing, as she had only grown worse in stability since I had attempted to purge her from me for good—I shook my head as if to sluice the ramblings away, focusing more on what the rapidly moving mouth of Naruto was saying; it was a good thing that I was able to read him well enough to know every little favour or request he was going to ask of me, before he even made them.

"—and I was thinking that maybe you and I could head over to Ichiraku's, y'know, for old time's sake?"

I normally wouldn't have hesitated for a second, had I not seen the two dreaded figures approaching us; Sasuke and his _fiancé_ 'Mitsuko'.

(_**Inner: Shannaro to the sarcastic attitude! That bitch will BURN for taking our precious Sasuke-kun away!**_)

Alright, so maybe I liked my inner a lot more than I did before; we seemed to agree on things that I was far too adamant to admit for myself.

I felt myself unconsciously holding my breath, the last remaining seconds I had left, those precious monologues now gone as they finally stopped before us, an awkward silence stretching for far longer than I would have liked it to have whilst we all processed our thoughts.

Whatever they had to say, I honestly didn't want nor need to hear it; I wanted out, so even if that meant leaving a crestfallen Naruto (he could just as easily replace me with his soon-to-be-wife, or perhaps even Sasuke and his _'love'_) to pick up the fragments of his own heart, so soon after we had assumedly started to 'get along' again.

Fuck.

I was officially at a stalemate.

I didn't want to ruin the already fragile seams that had been sewn in order to renew our bond, but at the same time, I wanted nothing more than to grab my sharpest kunai and slash them to ribbons.

Or even better, slash up Mitsuko's _face_.

That would definitely make me feel better, and perhaps Sasuke wouldn't want her anymore if she was so horribly disfigured...

I liked this plan more and more by the second.

Sasuke's sharp monotone broke through the thickening tension like a katana to flesh.

"Mitsuko was wondering as to whether or not you would like to join us for lunch."

It wasn't a question; it was one of those 'do it or you're gonna die' statements that would knock the other villagers for everything they had had they been given that sort of 'privilege'—I only see it as a means of further torture, where that... that _thing_ clung to him like a carbon copy of his teammate Karin (I remember seeing far more than I would have liked after the Fourth Ninja War), or perhaps even a younger version of myself.

Kami was I glad that I had since grown up and out of that 'fangirling' phase, otherwise I wasn't sure what I would have done to myself by this point in time—most likely resorting to suicide, but I was a grown woman that could handle tough situations... such as watching the man _I _love love _another_.

My life fucking sucked ass as far as I was concerned.

It was almost vaguely embarrassing to watch an elite member of the ANBU ranks pining after a man that was obviously already unavailable.

There was no justice in this world.

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Naruto looked rather pleased as to the proposition—as it meant spending more time with his 'brotherly figure'—before he realised that the implications of 'Mitsuko' and 'us' brought along other expectations as well; this couldn't have translated well with Sakura, no matter _how_ much she claimed (not that she had voiced her opinions as of yet) she didn't and or wasn't still in love with Sasuke anymore—having a luncheon with a man that you have and or still do love in a previous time and or moment and his newly delegated fiancé was _not_ the way to get off on another fresh foot.

A foot that Naruto could see Sakura happily shoving up the new chick's ass—

* * *

"Er, I don't think I can... I have another mission that I have to prepare for, and it's gonna be a long one... I dunno when I'll be back in the village, so..."

I partially lied, hoping that they would see nothing of the bluff or lie, and would let me slip through their grasp without being the wiser; it seemed that Sasuke, being the ever-observant asshole he was (it was only natural that I carried a grudge against his very being, after all), managed to pick up on this, as a faint, arrogant smirk tilted his lips, a corner tweaking upwards as he looked down (literally) at me with that same cocky attitude he had always retained.

"Nice try, Sakura, but I was with Tsunade just before I came here, and she told me herself that there wouldn't be any further missions for you until you have at least gotten together with everyone and relaxed. Which I am sure you have yet to do, seeing as there are _so_ many people eagerly awaiting your presence."

Fuck you bitch.

I hate you.

Not only did you manage to outsmart me, as per usual (I would have to have a brief word with shishou about this newfound development), but you made me look like a complete ass in front of your future wifey.

_Fantastic_.

Mitsuko simply giggled at my haughty expression, my eyes valid and blank of any form of emotion as she tried to register the appropriate response.

"It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Haruno-hime. I have heard of you from many of the fine shinobi in this village, and of your exceptional skill and knowledge on the battlefield. I am quite the fan of yours actually."

Ugh, false flattery speeches to win me over?

Could this day get any worse?

I rolled my eyes at the sheer irony of my inner quip as I spotted a figure clad in nothing but tight green spandex, opened my arms just in time to enveloped in an embrace from the village's 'handsome green beast', his ecstatic cries enough to bring the vaguest of happy smiles to my lips.

"Sakura-chan, my tenshi! You have returned! I have missed you dearly, my blossom of the springtime youth!"

Was he still seriously spouting that nonsense about our 'formative years'?

Well, that was Lee for you.

Smiling—one that _just_ touched my eyes on that note—almost warmly when Lee finally abstained from my person and allowed me my personal space to breathe again (he was no less of a gentleman as he had been all those months ago), I gazed up at him fondly, watching his expression go from a mask of pure delight to one of awe and admiration; what was up with these people thinking that I had changed so much?

It _had_ only been seven months, after all.

No one could alter to such a_ severe degree_ in such a short amount of time.

At least, that was what I had been convincing myself until now.

The tint of pink that dusted across the young man's cheeks made me want to groan in annoyance, that same over-obsessive manifestation he had had for me all those years ago—one which I was sure that I had burned out of him, instead ingraining his thoughts with another young woman whom had fancied him for quite some time (it seemed that once again my efforts were fruitless, without cause or success)—returning to ghost across his facial features and torture me endlessly with vows of eternal love and such; Kami help us all.

Of course, I would have rather have had Lee confessing to me over and over again (it made me feel somewhat desirable, wanted, even if it was by a man that wasn't the one I truly wanted with all of my heart) for the rest of my life than spend more time getting to know this 'Mitsuko' person; the more crap she sputtered from her admittedly pretty mouth, the more my urge to pound her into the next life and beyond would accumulate—I couldn't bear the thought of how Sasuke would react to that.

I wouldn't risk hurting him if it meant hurting her to do so; if I was to be cruel and ruthless towards him, then that did me just fine, but only if and when he decides to _really_ make a fool of me.

So far, he was really treading on thin ice.

A gravelly cough was my cue to escape from Lee's clutches (as much as I adored the boy, he really could be too much sometimes, especially when I was already in such a foul mood to begin with), my attentions once again—quite reluctantly—drawn back to the threesome (I couldn't help the smirk that tugged at my lips when I thought of this, only to have it backfire when I realised that even _Naruto_ had _more_ of a chance of getting some action [he already had, no thanks to that kiss back in the academy days] out of Sasuke than _I_ did) behind me.

I really didn't want to do this, but the pleading look in Naruto's large, round, beautiful (did I ever tell you that they were possibly one of the most gorgeous pairs of eyes I have _ever_ seen?) cerulean orbs had me caving without even registering when and or how it had happened; damn him and his persuasiveness!

Sighing in defeat, I nodded mutely in his direction, attesting to my surrender, before he _'whooped_!'; clapping Lee on the back, Naruto stated rather belatedly, "Tough luck man! Maybe next time, dattebayo!"

I couldn't stand to see the disappointment on his face, so I approached him as we began trekking down the pathway (I would prolong this as long as I possibly could, hoping to cut down the time I ended up spending with them), whispering a few short, yet meaningful and sweet words of comfort (basically that we could catch up later and discuss everything that we had missed out on), before making my way over to Naruto's side, feeling the need to plaster myself to his side too; hey, at least I could blend with scenery, as a certain _'I see none of your pain, I feel none of your pain, because my pain is greater than yours' _stuck-up sexy motherfucking asshole was doing it too, although somewhat begrudgingly.

Ha, at least he seemed uncomfortable in his current situation, so I could gloat and prod at that particular light as much as I liked... until my heart couldn't take the assault anymore, of course.

I wasn't sure how long it would be able to hold out for, but being the resourceful little organ that it was, I was at least positive that I could endure for the preliminary months, before my temperament finally snapped—knowing me, I would be high-strung and emotional for all of this time.

Perhaps I could use my training to numb out my feelings once again?

It wasn't as if I needed the extra heartache to carry around; I was already suffering from enough burden as it is. Shoving those thoughts to the side, I let out a withdrawn sigh, my arm instinctively snaking around Naruto's—the action causing him to flush all shades of scarlet, god bless his soul—as I pulled him closer to my side, his warmth seeping into my every pore as I inhaled his scent; it was strong on my tongue, enough so that I could taste it on the very tip, the musky ramen odour tickling my senses and making me smile affectionately—his eating habits had become so bad that he was coming off as a walking ramen stand, because he smelt exactly like Ichiraku's, except with a more distinct tang to his smell.

It was his smell; it was distinctly _Naruto_.

And not the fishcake.

Just... _him_.

* * *

Naruto's eyes were drawn to Sakura's figure, the glistening azure depths sparkling in the rays of sunlight that were cast beyond the expanse of the relatively clear sky; he was so, so happy that the rosette was on speaking terms with him again, and even more so that she didn't mind being physical with him either—the fact that she was manhandling him in such a manner only seemed to prove this.

But then again, as he silently observed her obviously thinking stature, a thought came to him; she was holding him in the exact same fashion as that of Mitsuko clinging to Sasuke—except there was little more to Naruto and Sakura's relationship as to Sasuke's and his _fiancé's_.

Ugh, he would never get used to this transition... from cold and stoic, to relatively the same indifferent bastard, with the exception that now he had chosen a woman that perhaps he could 'open up his heart to', so to speak. If he even owned one.

Which Naruto was sure he did.

Just didn't showcase a hell of a lot... or at all, as the case may be.

But that was beside the point!

The point was, maybe Sakura was only doing this to prove that she was indeed not affected by this new status amongst the teammates (the unwanted addition that secretly the blonde didn't want either [_SHE'S TAKING SASUKE-TEME AWAY FROM US AGAIN!_] for all the right reasons); maybe she was only doing this, not to better their connection—revive their former sibling bonds—, but to spite Sasuke out once and for all.

But maybe the blonde was reading too much into this situation.

He would have to be more careful of his future assumptions; after all, they could possibly lead to further alienation between them, and ideally he never wanted it to happen again as long as he lived.

This was his new purpose in life; to keep Team Kakashi together.

* * *

I wasn't hungry. Watching Mitsuko pawing at Sasuke—even managing to _feed_ him, against much of his protestations—was enough to relinquish my appetite and render me a soulless puppet; maybe I should have let Sasori gut me like a fish back then, so that he could have saved me from this excruciating form of torture.

It didn't seem like all of the 'lovey-dovey' crap was ever going to stop, and if it didn't, I would literally reach my all time low, and would most plausibly throw up all over the table—or the fiancé's lap, whichever place it decided to landed first, wherever that may have been had I not been able to force it back down.

Although that didn't lessen the impact of the scene before me. I was feeling rather nauseous until a strikingly familiar voice piped up in the din (aside from the swooning fangirls that had gathered just for old time's sake around Sasuke—translation; _around our fucking table!_), lifting my spirits almost as quickly as they had been crashing down.

"Yo, sorry I'm late. I got lost on the path of life, and—"

"You fucking _liar_!"

I exclaimed cheerily, my drastic mood change capturing the interest of one Uchiha Sasuke and his future wifey Watanabe Mitsuko, ultimately ending the cooties fest (thank the lord) in favour for watching my interaction with my old time favourite father-figure/sensei.

"Well, if it isn't Sakura. Why, haven't you grown since the last time I saw you. Such a lovely young woman you have become these last seven months."

Uncanniest of all, I found myself flushing a delicate shade of pink, seizing the attention of all of the men in the buffet section of the bar as I smiled somewhat softly, the action completely lighting my eyes ablaze with a swirl of colour as I brought my now heavily stained cheeks back up to meet my sensei's inquisitive stare.

He hadn't changed a bit, and somehow, this was strangely pleasing for me to know; everything I had ever thought I had known had suddenly altered so drastically that it seemed almost impossible to comprehend, but to see someone so familiar before me, looking the same as if I had only met up with him yesterday... it really made me feel a joy unseen in a very long time.

"I'm pleased to know that my beloved Kaka-sensei still remembers my face after all of these months."

He chuckled at this, amused by my wry reply.

"Why wouldn't I recognise the face of my most prized female student? Even with all of the change that you have undergone?"

There they went _again_ with the whole 'changing' thing.

I really needed to take a look in my mirror when I got home from this outing; heh, perhaps this wasn't so bad after all.

As I went to embrace my former-but-still-always-my-sensei, loud squeals of anger were heard, along with choruses of "Whoa, dude's got guts!"; with my arms midway around Kakashi's waist—and his almost completely engulfing my shoulders to him—I found myself turning to see what the fuss was all about, only to have whatever shards of my heart had been left completely fall apart.

There, in that damned chair, Mitsuko had angled her face to meet Sasuke's, and was currently kissing him senseless, hands winded through his silky hair; it wasn't the fact that _she_ was kissing _him_ that bothered me.

No...

It was the fact that _he_ was _kissing her __**back**_ that completely tore me apart inside.

* * *

**a/n: End of chapter 2! Ugh, shouldn't be up now, but I am [stupid insomnia!], so that I could finish this! (: **

**I know it's shorter, but I was pressed for time, so please make do with this for now! Since I managed to get 16 reviews for chapter 1, could I please get that again? **

**I do not discourage newcomers, so please review and let me know what you think, ne! **

**16+16=32**

**Until next time then!**

**Ja ne! x) **

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


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